Global Water Resources (NASDAQ:GWRS) Stock Crosses Below 50-Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Global Water Resources, Inc. (NASDAQ:GWRS) passed below its 50-day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 50-day moving average of $7.09 and traded as low as $7.04. Global Water Resources shares last traded at $7.07, with a volume of 96,684 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on GWRS. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Global Water Resources in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Global Water Resources from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $15.00.

Global Water Resources Trading Down 3.9%

The firm has a market cap of $203.33 million, a PE ratio of 101.00 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a quick ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.59. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $7.09 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $7.79.

Global Water Resources (NASDAQ:GWRS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 13th. The utilities provider reported ($0.01) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.02) by $0.01. The company had revenue of $13.29 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.09 million. Global Water Resources had a net margin of 3.53% and a return on equity of 3.53%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Global Water Resources, Inc. will post 0.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Global Water Resources Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.0253 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 17th. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.3%. Global Water Resources’s dividend payout ratio is presently 428.57%.

Insider Activity at Global Water Resources

In other Global Water Resources news, CFO Michael J. Liebman acquired 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 20th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $6.89 per share, with a total value of $48,230.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 7,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $48,230. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, COO Christopher D. Krygier acquired 5,389 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 20th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $6.87 per share, for a total transaction of $37,022.43. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 10,485 shares in the company, valued at $72,031.95. This represents a 105.75% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 53.70% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. TSP Capital Management Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Global Water Resources by 134.9% during the 4th quarter. TSP Capital Management Group LLC now owns 757,706 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $6,403,000 after acquiring an additional 435,129 shares during the last quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. raised its holdings in shares of Global Water Resources by 36.5% during the first quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 415,448 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,153,000 after purchasing an additional 111,000 shares during the last quarter. Heartland Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Global Water Resources by 21.1% during the first quarter. Heartland Advisors Inc. now owns 831,100 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $6,308,000 after purchasing an additional 144,600 shares during the last quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Global Water Resources during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $84,000. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC bought a new position in Global Water Resources during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $88,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 27.91% of the company’s stock.

Global Water Resources Company Profile

Global Water Resources, Inc (NASDAQ:GWRS) is a publicly traded holding company based in Scottsdale, Arizona, specializing in the ownership and management of water and wastewater utilities. The company provides critical potable water delivery, wastewater collection and treatment, and reclaimed water services to residential, commercial and industrial customers across select communities in Central and Southern Arizona.

The company operates multiple regulated utility systems, serving communities such as Anthem, Biltmore, Florence and San Tan Valley.